Jackson demands right of reply

Kathy Jackson
, the woman blamed by
Craig Thomson
for setting him up, questioned the scandal-plagued MP’s sanity and demanded a right of reply against the allegation in Parliament.

Mr Thomson yesterday zeroed in on the Health Services Union national secretary, telling Parliament she had mobilised allies to set him up so it appeared he had visited prostitutes and defrauded the union of funds.

Ms Jackson took over as head of the union from Mr Thomson when he was elected to Parliament in 2007 and has pursued the case against him for rorting the union of funds during his five years as national secretary.

“I have not set up Craig Thomson. Whatever’s happened to Craig Thomson has been because of Craig Thomson’s doing, not of my doing or anyone else in the HSU," Ms Jackson said in Sydney yesterday.

Mr Thomson told Parliament yesterday that Ms Jackson and HSU national president
Michael Williamson
were seeking revenge after he tried to clean up the union’s financial procedures.

Ms Jackson’s factional ally Marco Borlano was alleged to have said he would ruin Mr Thomson’s parliamentary career by setting him up with “hookers".

“Mr Thomson has grossly abused parliamentary privilege in his attacks on me and others," Ms Jackson said. “I think most Australians would agree that, if I can’t get redress in the courts because of parliamentary privilege, then I should at least be given the right of reply. I’ll be seeking support from both the government and opposition for that right."

Ms Jackson also denied her partner, Fair Work Australia deputy president
Michael Lawler
, had used his influence to ensure the report favoured her. “Any suggestion that my partner has procured some advantage to me is shown to be false by the outrageous contraventions proposed against me by the delegate and the one outrageous finding made by the general manager," she said.

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Ms Jackson was found to be in contravention of workplace laws by lodging union annual reports late, the FWA report into the union found.

Ms Jackson, who herself has been hospitalised for stress, said she felt for Mr Thomson.

“It’s clear to me that these tactics are those of a desperate, maybe even delusional, man. Craig has clearly been under enormous pressure," she said. “In any other work situation someone in his position would be allowed to leave to start rebuilding his life. The current parliamentary numbers mean that he can’t do that."

Mr Thomson told Parliament yesterday that Ms Jackson had abused union funds, and had not adequately represented the union.

“She may have had a conversion on the road to Damascus – and I will come to those sorts of things later – but this certainly is not someone who comes to this issue with clean hands."

Ms Jackson drove a union-provided Volvo, and her child-care and gym fees were paid for by the union, Mr ­Thomson said. “She has had numerous overseas trips, none of which, as national secretary, I was aware visited any unions, " he said.

“Within weeks after I left, her ­salary almost doubled from the salary that I received, allegedly now being around some $270,000."

Ms Jackson’s former husband, Jeff Jackson, was accused in the FWA report of using union funds to pay for flights from Melbourne to Sydney for the wedding of a union organiser.

Mr Thomson also listed her performance as a board member of industry super fund HESTA, in which capacity he said she collected fees but rarely attended meetings.